WHEN WIZARDS AND VAMPIRES BECAME FRIENDS
by olympus-always-okay
Summary: A vampire break-out near Hogsmeade. Can the Golden Trio save the day? Or will they become prey?
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

It was a stormy night. Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley were sitting near the fire, trying to do their beastly Potions homework. Well, mostly Harry and Ron. "Blimey! This beastly bezoar essay is getting on my nerves! Why the bloody hell did you have to talk back to Snape, Harry?" groaned Ron.

"Sorry Ron. I never realized Snape would give us such a lot of homework for standing up!" groaned Harry too, as he drowsily looked up a book for information on a bezoar.

"You are looking in the wrong book Harry! How can you look up on a bezoar in a Herbology book? Seriously, you and Ron make a fine pair on complaining and doing nothing." said Hermione, clearly annoyed as her friends tried to do their homework.

"Really, they never make ANY effort on their homework. They always get it done from me." she thought frustratedly, as she looked for a book on bezoars. "Copy from these books, you two. It contains every fact about bezoars in an easy-to-understand way. Then it may help you remember facts for your OWLS." Hermione said in her superior tone.

"Easy for you to say. You're bloody brilliant! I doubt whether this will EVER get in my head." wailed poor Ron as he tried to read the dull book.

"Be happy, Ron. Tomorrow's a good day. No Potions class at all and in the evening, a trip to Hogsmeade! No Snape for a day." said Harry, trying desperately to calm Ron down. He wanted to get his homework done so that he and his friends could spend the whole of the next day without any mention of Potions or Snape.

This managed to clam Ron down and they skimmed through the book, often with remarks like "This seems to be a suitable point!" or "Blimey! We must write this one down!"

And so the hours went by and by 10, both Harry and Ron wear heaving sighs of relief. "Hermione, you are truly a gift for us. Please scold me if I am ever rude to you again!" said Ron as he sank back into the couch.

"If you are rude to me, Ronald, I'll know you've become normal." said Hermione with a grin.

"Ahh! A full day without Snape! Nothing can give me more joy!" said Harry as he put his quill down. "Harry! How can you be so forgetful? Don't you remember that you have detention with Snape during lunch? Merlin's beard, I thought Ron was forgetful but you're ten times worse!" retorted Hermione, clearly annoyed.

Ron being forgetful was okay. It came with the package, and she was the reminder. But Harry, Harry was never forgetful! Now she had two babies to look after.

Harry looked sheepish and Ron was laughing his head off. "What are you laughing at Ronald? You also have detention with Snape!" exclaimed Hermione. Ron's raucous laughter came to an abrupt halt and groaned. Snape gave Gryffindors the worst of detentions. Most people tried to avoid getting detention from Snape, but unfortunately, Harry and Ron weren't one of them. They got detention from Snape at least once a week.

A great day to be spoilt by Snape. Could things get any worse?


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

Harry and Ron managed to complete their homework. It was a dreadful task, doing Snape's homework; he gave such a lot of homework and such a short period to do it. Now they only had to face detention. Snape had a special hatred towards Ron and Harry, and he always treated them horribly. He always banished Harry's potions even thought others made them worse than Harry (Neville). Harry had learnt his lesson; avoid conversations with anyone and focus very, very, VERY carefully on his own potion.

The day went by as usual. But that day went even more slowly. It was a dull day; an hour and a half with Binns, right in the morning, followed by an hour with Trelawney. "Ugh. Finding out about Snape's detention has made a day without him miserable!" groaned Ron. History had been more sleepy and boring than any other day. "Be happy, Ronald. The whole evening will be free an you can enjoy yourself. Have you forgotten? After lunch we have Flitwick's class. You were rather eager about today's class, remember? We are learning the Summoning charm." Hermione said, slightly cheering them. "Of course! Summoning charm! It will be the spell which I will use the most!" Ron exclaimed happily. "I am pretty sure, Ron, that by the time you go home for the vacation, you will forget how to walk!" said Harry with a mischievous grin. "Shut up Harry!" said Ron hotly, as he saw Harry burst into mirthful laughter.

All Harry's and Ron's cheerfulness ended when they entered Trelawney's class. The class as every other day, was boring and dull. They had to read each other's tea leaves without any doubts. They were revising what they had learnt from the beginning of the year. All their lessons were done, and Trelawney had a premonition that their yearly exams would start within a month and she wanted t make sure no one flunked in her delicate class.

After Divination, was lunch. The hour Harry and Ron were dreading. They went down to the Great Hall and sat with Hermione. "Eat fast, you two. You don't want to miss Charms." Hermione said. Harry took a slice of pumpkin pie and tried to eat. Even Ron, who loved eating, wasn't interested in the food. After having a few mouthfuls, they left for detention.

They went to the dungeons were Snape's classroom was. Snape had left a note on his table which contained the instructions for Harry and Ron.

Clean all the cauldrons using the brushes on the table.

Clear all the ingredients on the tables and store the unused ones and dispose the remaining.

MAGIC IS PROHIBITED

"Bloody hell!" exclaimed Ron as he peered into the cauldrons. "What a mess! Thank god we listened to Hermione and came here early! It will take us an hour to clear these cauldrons!" "Just look at these ingredients! It will take a long time to clear and sort them." Harry grunted. "Well, let's not waste time and get to work."

And so they worked and worked and worked. They worked with a determination to complete the work before Charms.

They worked with such intensity, it was like someone invisible was whipping them. Neither of them opened their mouths throughout detention, which was surprising, because Ron couldn't go for more than five minutes without talking or eating.

They finished their work and were exhausted, when they saw Fred and George coming towards the dungeons. They were whispering and snickering. And then they saw their little brother and his best friend panting against the table. "Well, well, well! What do we have here? Ickle Ronnie is it? Has Ronnie gotten into detention?" said Fred in a high, nasaly voice, that almost sounded like Mrs. Weasley to Harry.

"Go and torment someone else Fred! We just finished a lot of scrubbing and sorting. And we are tired and absolutely famished!" said Ron, as he clutched his groaning stomach. "See? Everyone can hear my poor, empty stomach." he moaned. "Ah, you're in luck Ron! We just got a few sandwiches from the kitchen, and I'm sure we could spare you and Harry some." George said. "Well, for once you have proven yourself useful! Gimme those sandwiches!" exclaimed Ron as he pounced onto the sandwiches in George's hand.

"Ah ah aah! Not yet Ronnie! You need to pay for 'em." said Fred. "What should we do?" asked Harry. He was so hungry and tired that he was willing to do anything for a few bites of food.

"No need to do anything, Harry." said the twins in unison. "This is just for ickle Ronnie." said Fred. The twins looked at each other and smirked. Ron gulped. He didn't want to make a fool of himself! But his stomach thought differently, as it gave a loud groan.

"What should I do?" asked Ron after he heard the groan. Harry shook his head, not knowing whether to feel bad for Ron, or to be ready to laugh at the plan the twins had thought of.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

Ron and Harry finished their detention and went for Charms after wolfing down all the sandwiches the twins had brought. Only a few minutes were left for them to reach class, and they didn't want to be late for the Summoning Charm lesson, so they ran all the way to the class-room. It was quite a distance, so they were came heaving like angry rhinos. They reached their seats right before the short, but brilliant Head of Ravenclaw, Filius Flitwick, entered the class. "Good afternoon, class." said the professor, in a squeaky voice. "Today we are going to learn the Summoning Charm, and I want you to learn it properly and master it by the end of this week. Now, who can tell me what is the incantation for the charm, and what the charm exactly does?"

Hermione's hand immediately shot up. "Yes Miss Granger?" professor Flitwick beckoned. "Sir, the Summoning Charm is used to make objects come directly to the witch or wizard who casts the spell. The incantation for this spell is 'Accio'. But saying this incantation isn't enough. The witch or wizard must also tell the name of the object that is to be summoned." Hermione said. "Very well explained, Miss Granger. Ten points to Gryfffindor." Flitwick said, rather happy with Hermione's explanation. "This girl would have brought glory to Ravenclaw. A pity the Sorting Hat chose Gryffindor." Flitwic thought to himself.

While all this was going on, Harry and Ron tried to catch their breath. "Blimey! I wonder how Hermione could have learnt all about Summoning Charms in between all this homework!" exclaimed Ron. Now he was in awe of Hermione. "I have no idea, Ron, but all I can say is Flitwick likes her and Gryffindor wouldn't mind a few extra house-points." Harry said, with a grin. He, Ron and Neville could lose how many ever house-points they could during Snape's class but Hermione could double it in Charms class within a week. Harry and Ron had regained their breath and now, they were eager for lessons to begin.

"As Miss Granger correctly explained, the Summoning Charm enables a witch or wizard to summon an object, hence the name. And the incantation to be used for this charm is 'Accio' followed by the name of the object wished to be summoned." Flitwick said. "The closer an object is to the summoner, the easier it is to summon. Of course, objects can be summoned from over a great distance, but that is very difficult and will require a lot of practice."

"Now, we will start by summoning feathers, as they are very easy to summon." Flitwick said as he brought a box full of fluffy feathers out of the storage cupboard. "And I hope that no one manages to set a feather on fire." There were a few snickers when Flitwick said this, as they knew it was directed to their companion, Seamus Finnigan, who managed to blow up, or set fire to anything and everything, when he tried to brew potions or attempted to cast a spell.

Hermione just rolled her eyes as she payed the slightest attention to the snickers, as the perfectionist she is, and wondered how immature the boys were. "Now, class, I want you to say the incantation out loud before you use your wands." Flitwick instructed. And so, for whole five minutes, they practiced saying the incantation out loud. Neville, as usual, screwed up the pronunciation and so, Flitwick had to teach Neville separately for another five minutes on how to pronounce the incantation. The class was getting restless, and Neville got scared as the class grew more and more restless. Finally, at around the fifteenth minute of Flitwick teaching Neville how to pronounce, he stammered it out perfectly.

"Very well done, Neville my boy." Flitwick said in a squeaky, exasperated tone. He took a breath to regain his composture. He cleared his throat and instructed, "Now, I want you to practice with the wand movements before you work your magic on the feathers." Another half hour went by, as the Gryffindors tried to make their wand-work perfect. Hermione got it perfect in her first chance itself, and was received by many 'oohs' and 'ahs'. She flushed a dull red. Hermione loved being flattered in class.

The last fifteen minutes of class was left for practical use. As usual, Hermione got it in her first chance, and Flitwick, thoroughly pleased, gave her more objects to try on. And each time, she managed to summon them perfectly. Flitwick, totally elated, spent most of his attention on Hermione and the rest of the class talked to each other while trying out their spells. No one could succeed, other than Hermione.

"I know what Charms homework is going to be today." Ron said, as he practiced his charm. "And what is that going to be?" asked Harry as he concentrated on the spell. "'Practise the Summoning Charm and write a fifteen-inch long essay on how it is used.'" Ron said, badly impersonating Flitwick's high, squeaky voice.

And as Ron said, that was the homework of the day.

After Charms, they had a half-hour Transfiguration class with McGonagall. They were re-trying what they learned in second-year; how to change animals into water goblets. "I want all of you to master this spell by tomorrow. You may leave." McGonagall said in her strict, sharp voice.

"What a wonderful day! The only homeworks we have to do is practice the spells!" said Ron, joyously, as he and Harry got ready to leave for Hogsmeade. They were to meet Hermione in the Great Hall. "I know, right?" said a voice with a hint of a smirk. The twins entered the dormitory, each with a smirk on their face. "Has Won-Won forgotten about payment?" asked Fred in a high falsetto. Ron grimaced. "What should I do?" he asked with a groan. "Come to our dormitory tomorrow morning wearing only your undergarments." George said. "What?!" exclaimed Ron. "Don't worry Ronnie, we won't make you walk naked into the Great Hall." Fred said in a simpering. "We wouldn't do that to our younger brother!" said the twins at the same time, each with an impish grin plastered on their faces.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

"What an exhausting day, right Harry?" asked Ron as he sat down on a couch in the Gryffindor common-room. "Tiring eh, Ron? That means you aren't ready to go for the Hogsmeade trip you have been waiting for?" asked Harry, grinning. "AHHH!"shouted Ron, completely active. "Whenever I hear the word 'Hogsmeade', I become active." Ron explained. "What are you two waiting for?" asked Hermione. She had just put on her cloak, and was putting on her gloves. Without another word, Harry and Ron put on their cloaks too and went to the Great Hall.

It was a wet day, and the sky was filled with dark thunder clouds. But that didn't reduce the enthusiasm of anyone. All Hogwarts students looked forward to the visits to Hogsmeade. It took their mind off of school-work. "Let's go to Zonko's! Fred said that they have launched a new line of tricks. I want to use one of them on the twins, but they are too clever to fall for them." Ron said, rather crestfallen. He had never been able to play a successful prank on the Weasley twins. "You boys go to Zonko's. I need to get a new quill and some parchment." As she walked away, Harry could have sworn hearing Hermione muttering under her breath about boys and their stupid fascinations.

After a few minutes, Harry and Ron emerged from Zonko's, their hands stuffed with all sorts of products. They then entered Zonko's. "Hey guys!" said Neville. He was grinning. "Honeyduke's has just launched a new line of sweets and stuff. It's called Exotics and a few of them are pretty nice! You must go Harry!" he said, clearly fascinated by the new sweets. "No harm trying them, Ron. I'm going to check them out." Harry entered and went straight to the Exotic section. It was rather crowded. Honeyduke's and Zonko's were the most popular shops in Hogsmeade and everyone loves sweets, right?

So many new sweets were stocked, each one weirder than the next. There were Chocolate Roaches, Gummy Cola Spiders that could make edible liqorice webs, Bloodi Lollis etc. "Excuse me, but what are those Bloodi Lollis?" Harry asked the kind lady who owned the shop. "That, my dear, is a blood flavoured lollipop. It doesn't contain actual blood, it just gives you the feeling of having real blood. Would you like to try?" Though Harry had a lot of experiences with blood, he still didn't like the idea of tasting it. "No thanks. I would like a box of those Gummy Cola Spiders please." The kind lady who owned Honeyduke's gave him a box of those and he went to find Ron.

Ron was busy buying Bertie Bott's Evey Flavour Beans and Chocolate Frogs. "Hey! Ron! Look at what I found in the Exotics section! I'm pretty sure you'll like it." Ron turned and saw the box in Harry's hand. "WHAT?!" he shrieked. "Harry! You know how uch I detest spiders! Please! Eat that thing when I'm not there." Poor Ron had turned pale just by looking at the box.

Harry had really forgotten about Ron's aversion to spiders. "I'll just get a bag and put it in." harry said, trying to ease his friend's uneasiness. Just then, the door was thrown open, and a frantic-looking Hermione entered the store. "Harry! Ron!" she said, sounding out-of-breath. She ran towards them and towed them out of the store.

"Where have you been? I've been searching ALL the shops for you! Do you KNOW what was written on the paper?" she asked, looking very wild.

"Calm down 'Mione! We're safe!" Ron said as he stuffed a Chocolate Frog in his mouth. "No, it's not! There's been a vampire break-out near Hogsmeade. I was at the Three Broomsticks, sitting near the radio, and I heard it. Harry, you are still not safe from Voldemort. Haven't you ever thought about that? He might have sent these after you!" she cried.

"Hermione, if it calms you down, shall we go back to the castle?" asked Harry. "Yes. Yes indeed. That will surely calm me down, thanks." Hermione heaved a sigh of relief. "No dillying or dallying. Let's go. NOW." And she marched off. "She is mental, she is you know." Ron said as he too went after Hermione.

Harry was deep in thought. If Voldemort actually wanted to kill him, why wouldn't he send vampires? They had not yet started the lessons on vampires in Defense Against the Dark Arts, and he has no basic knowledge on vampires. He needed a plan. An original plan. Not one of Hermione's brilliant and systematic plans, but a simple one that may save him from a possible death from vampires.

He looked back at Hogsmeade and saw the bright lights flashing back at him. The idea was right in front of his eyes. He just had to hope it worked.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N – I have edited the prank in this chapter. I just thought adding a little bit more would make it funnier. I really do hope the extra addition has made it a tad funnier.

CHAPTER 5

As soon as Harry, Ron and Hermione entered the common-room, they collapsed onto chairs. Well, not Hermione. She was pacing around the common-room. "Worried about you, Harry. About that vampire break-out I guess." Ron said as he yawned. "Hermione, are you thinking of a plan to protect our lives from the vampires?" Harry asked cautiously. "Yes…." she replied. "Well, don't worry! I've got a plan." said Harry. "YOU'VE got a plan? Let me listen to this plan." Hermione said. She sounded slightly astounded, but mostly annoyed. She was the master-mind of the three. How COULD anyone else get an idea? It was just not correct.

Harry got the feeling that Hermione didn't like the fact that he had an idea. "When we entered Honeyduke's, Neville told us that there is a new collection called Exotics. I wanted to check them out, so I went to that section and saw the sweets. And there was this sweet called Bloodi Lollis. The lady who owns the shop told me about them, and I feel that we could use them." Harry ended his idea rather sheepishly as he saw Hermione's and Ron's expressions. Right now, it sounded sort of stupid.

Hermione got that far-off kind of look on her face. She was deep in thought. "It can possibly work." she thought. "I need exact details." Hermione finally said. "Ummmm, like?" Harry asked. "What did she say about the candy?" "Umm, she said that it didn't contain actual blood, nor is it made from actual blood. It just gives the taste of blood." "Your idea may work, Harry. It seems to be sensible. You know what? I'm going to the library. I need to do some research, and fill up the flaws if there are any." Saying this, Hermione went out through the portrait. "Harry, you and Hermione are bloody brilliant! Looks like I'm the duffer of our gang." Ron said with a smile. From the smile, Harry could make out that Ron was just joking. "Well, I don't know about you, Ron, but I'm going to bed. It's been an exhausting day."

Harry woke up rather late the next day. Ron too had just woken up, and he was yawning widely. The twins were waiting near the entrance to their dormitory. What were the twins doing there? Harry wondered. He was still feeling sleepy. He recalled the previous day's events. Fred and George had brought sandwiches for them and they had demanded payment from Ron. "Hey there, Harry." they said in unison. "As you remember, little brother, you have to pay us for the sandwiches we brought for you." Fred said. "And so, here we are to get our payment." "Don't worry, ickle Ronnie, we don't want money." George said, grinning as he saw Ron's startled expression. "If you don't mind Harry, would you give us some time to spend with our little brother?" George asked in a tone that was too sincere to be true. "Yeah. Of course. I'll just take my clothes and go." Harry was slightly worried about his friend, but he knew Fred and George wouldn't do anything bad to his friend, but he was sure the end result of their 'quality time' with Ron would end up hilarious.

Harry got ready, all his friends were talking amongst themselves. There were all eager for something. Of course! They were waiting for the result of Ron's 'time' with the twins. Suddenly, the door burst open, and Ron was standing, his chin extending upto his chest, and his face was covered with red spots. When these spots burst opened, pus spewed out. Added to this was the state of Ron's hair. It was a glorious, vivid, eye catching shocking neon pink. It was a horrendous sight. All the boys bursted into shrieks of laughter. Harry too was laughing, tears streaming down his face.

The twins had quietly sneaked behind Harry and whispered into his ear "We have created a new line of products, Harry. That's what's caused his extended chin and those boils." Harry turned around and saw the twins standing behind them "George and I have decided to let you know." Fred said proudly and rather smugly. "What about his hair?" Harry asked, panting and wiping tears from his eyes, still chuckling. "That fool has got us into trouble SO many times, that he deserves it. Just personal vengeance. We used him to test the products, so that's the chin and boils, but hair is completely pure vengeance." George explained. "Of course we won't let the whole school know about it yet, just you," Fred added hastily. "If the Slytherins saw Ron, he would be taunted for the rest of his existence. Even though Ron maybe a prat, we don't want that. We'll clear him up before he leaves the dorms." Fred added.

"That surely was a marvelous trick, guys. If you need help please ask me." Harry told them. "Don't worry, Harry. We won't." Saying this, the twins disappeared among the crowds of Gryffindors.

Harry took another look at Ron and burst into laughter again. This was amazing.


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

Fred and George took Ran back into the empty dorm to make him all right again. Even though they didn't like their brother, they sure did love him a bit, and their younger brother was already considered a loser. Poor Ron. All the others went out of the common-room ready for breakfast. Harry waited for Ron, he had never liked the looks of the other students of Hogwarts when he walked around. Ron helped him to not notice all those little insignificant things.

Ron emerged from the dormitory looking a wee bit pink, but rather happy. "The blokes were kind enough to give me a Chocolate Frog hamper for being sportive." Ron told Harry happily. "So as of now, there are no hard feelings."

They sat at their table in the Great Hall, and Fred and George's antic has spread like wild-fire among the Gryffindors, including the girls. Ron noticed that even Hermione was laughing. That made him feel a bit angry, but also happy. He had succeeded in making her laugh."Oh Fred and George are just a scream!" she said while laughing. "I'm sure you are holding a grudge against them?" "Actually, no." Ron replied. He felt smug when he saw Hermione's shocked expression. He took out the Chocolate Frog hamper and showed it to Hermione. It was full of Chocolate Frogs. "Compensation." Ron replied in a superior tone. From down the long table, Fred called out to him, "Why don't you eat one now, Ron?" he asked. "I've heard that eating sweets in the morning makes your whole day happy." George added. "Really?" Ron replied. "I never knew that!" He immediately tore open the hamper's cover and quickly opened two Chocolate Frogs and stuffed them into his mouth.

He started chomping on the chocolate. "Well (chomp) I don' wan' Shnape (chomp) tcho shcold 'e (chomp) tchoday. Doubl' potions (chomp)." As he ate, a change came over Ron's face. His red freckles and red hair slowly turned into a bright neon pink. Everyone in the Gryffindor was staring at Ron, stifling their laughter at the sight of Ron's bright hair.

Harry didn't know what to do, neither did Hermione. The twins had outdone themselves. This was EPIC. Hermione took out a mirror from her bag and placed it in front of Ron's face. Ron stopped chomping when he saw his reflection. He swallowed. "Merlin's beard what's wrong with my hair?!" he shrieked in a high squeaky voice. The whole table erupted in laughter. The needed a spark to start a large-scale eruption of laughter, and this was the spark- a squeaky Ron.

"Fred and George must have enchanted your Frogs." Hermione explained in between bursts of laughter. "Wait till I get them, those annoying blighters." Ron growled, while trying to hide his bright pink hair. He surveyed the table for Fred and George. He saw them, wiping their eyes and bellowing with laughter. Ron literally jumped onto them and the three Weasleys started fighting. Somehow, they landed up sprawling and fighting on the ground. All the others were surrounding them enjpying the rare fight. Suddenly, all the laughter died down, and the students parted, leaving way for Snape.

Harry groaned. Snape could never take a joke. He loved reducing the house points from Gryffindor. This was a great opportunity for him to take away tons of points.

"What is going on here?" he asked. The Weasleys stopped fighting and immediately stood up. "Oh let me see," Snape sneered. "Your brothers played a prank on you and turned your hair pink. Well, well, for playing the prank, twenty-five points from each of the twins. And you, Mr. Weasley, for provoking the fight,, fifty points from Grffindor. So, totally, a hundred points from Gryffindor." The Weasleys just stood there, completely passive to what Snape had just said.

"What a wonderful way to start the day." Snape said contentedly. He looked around. "Don't you have classes to attend?" he barked. The crowd dissolved as each student hastily went away.

"Bummer." Fred muttered. "No sense of humour." George muttered. "My hair!" wailed Ron. "What can I do about my hair?" "You better go to Madam Pomfrey. " Hermione advised. "I'll take him." Harry assured her. "You go on."

On the way to the hospital wing, Ron asked Harry, "Harry, truthfully tell me,, how do I look?" "Perfectly hideous." Harry replied with a mischievous grin.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

Months went by in Hogwarts. All the teachers started giving tons of homework. Ron and Harry got practically nothing done and all the homework started piling up.

That evening, in the Gryffindor common-room, Harry suggested that they start completing their homework. "You know Ron," Harry started. "We should probably start completing our homework. We have tons to do now." Ron sat down on a couch near the fire-place and took a Chocolate Frog. "Relax, Harry! We'll do it later! I can't do anything right now. I'm too tired." He started eating the Frog. "Oh yeah?" said Harry. He took out a spare bit of parchment in which he had been writing down homework and their deadlines. "We have a foot-long essay on Mandrakes for Sprout, three-foot long essay on moonstones and their uses for Snape, a complete and detailed explanation on Boggarts and the spell to drive them away for Lupin and a four-foot long essay on Giant Wars for Binns. All this to be given by this Friday! And it already is Tuesday!" Harry said. He took a pause to catch his breath. Ron stopped chewing his Frog and swallowed it. "Blimey! What a load of work!" Hermione passed by just then. "Oh! So you two are FINALLY planning to start your work. Well, I'm glad about that, and may I add one more thing?" she asked with fake innocence. "What?" moaned Ron. "You've forgotten about the essay for Hagrid. Now, I am not going to help you, so you might as well listen to Harry and start on your work." Saying this, Hermione flounced off and buried herself in a book.

Neville came and sat next to them. "Guys, if you don't mind, can I also do my homework with you?" he asked. "Sure Neville." Harry replied. "Thanks!" Neville replied and quickly brought his bag, parchment, quill and ink-well. "My granny always tells me that more the number of heads, more the work that gets done." he said cheerfully. "Well, let's hope your granny is right Neville, cause we don't have Hermione's head with us now!" Ron moaned.

Harry and Ron, along with Neville and worked very hard to complete their work on time for the rest of the term. Just a week before the holidays, a Hogsmeade trip was organized. "You know what guys? We should celebrate." Ron said contentedly, after seeing the sign. Hermione was sitting next to them. "Well, I see that you've done well with your essays, Ronald." "That's why we're celebrating." he replied proudly.

Harry was busy reading the headlines of the Daily Prophet. "Hey, what's wrong Harry?" Hermione asked. "Nothing. Just more about these vampire attacks. If you've been reading the papers, the vampires are coming closer and closer to Hogwarts." Harry replied. "Rubbish!" cried Hermione, snatching the paper from Harry's hands. "What do you think, mate?" asked Ron, a bit worriedly. "Nothing. I wonder whether Sirius Black is behind this." Harry said vehemently. "Harry, I don't-" Hermione started but Harry interrupted him. "Hermione, why shouldn't he? He's a Dark wizard, he can have all sorts of Dark creatures at his command, just like Voldemort." "What are we going to do?" asked Ron nervously. "We be careful, that's what." said Harry. "And also figure out ways to protect ourselves from vampires." Hermione added. "I'm going to the library first thing tomorrow and research on vampires. We have just two days before the Hogsmeade trip."

As Hermione had said, she spent all her free time in the library. "I find a researching Hermione scarier than a vampire attack. She becomes as snappy as McGonagall in a bad mood." Ron said, as he started eating his dinner in the Great Hall the next day. "Well, she's coming here now. So better shut it." Harry warned him. He didn't want the first-year drama to happen again, that too not with a vampire break-out, especially if the vampires are extra blood-thirsty (literally). "Nothing!" Hermione said exasperatedly, as she sat down next to Harry. "Just loads of information on how to identify a vampire, how to transform into a vampire and about vampires. Not even a paragraph on how to protect oneself from a vampire!" "Me mum always says to keep garlic to keep vampires away." Ron mumbled. "What?!" Hermione screamed. "What?" he asked. "You're telling me this NOW?" she shrieked. "Ca'm dow' 'Er'io'ne!" Ron said, his mouth full of chicken. "Calm down?" she shrieked again. "This could probably save your best friend's life in a vampire attack!" she shrieked. "Seriously, Hermione, you sound more worried than Harry himself is!" Ron retorted. Harry laughed at the comment. "What's so funny?" she snapped at Harry. He stifled his laughter and took a spoon of food. "Nothing." he muttered. Dinner went by in complete silence.


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

The two days before the Hogmeade trip was hell for Harry and Ron. After Ron mistakenly told Hermione that his mum always told him that garlic protects people from vampires, she became frantic and started asking everyone everywhere whether this was true. After hearing this so-called "vital" piece of information, Hermione immediately went to meet Percy, Ron's older brother, whether this was true.

"Hey, Percy," Hermione started. "Is it true that garlic can keep vampires away?" she asked. Percy gave her such a glare when he heard this, that Hermione, Hermione Granger felt ashamed to have asked such a question. Next, she went to ask the Weasley twins. "Fred, George, does garlic keep vampires away?" she asked. They gave each other a look before replying. "Well, Hermione, you came to the experts!" said George proudly, with a crooked grin. "Did you know that your first-year defense against the dark arts teacher, Professor Quirrell, stuffed his turban with garlic and raw fish to keep vampires away?" Fred asked innocently. "No." Hermione replied squeamishly. "They keep vampires a kilometer away, right Georgie?" Fred asked his twin. "Oh yes, Freddie. Old Quirrell told me himself." George said, making himself sound important. "Okay…" said Hermione. Could all this POSSIBLY be true? It is up to me to confirm, she thought to herself.

Next, she targeted the teachers. "Professor McGonagall, can you please confirm something that I heard?" she asked McGonagall, after class. Nearly the whole class made a cat disappear and she was rather contented. "Yes, Miss Granger." McGonagall said. "Does raw fish and garlic keep vampires away?" she asked falteringly. Asking such a question in front of McGonagall, she felt silly, and realized the stupidity of the question. McGonagall's expression hardened. "I suggest that you ask your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Lupin, that question, Miss Granger. I really don't think I have the capability and knowledge to answer such a question." "Oh, yes, Professor." Hermione said hurriedly left the room as quickly as possible, her face pink till the roots of her bushy hair. But she didn't give up.

The next day, after DADA class, Hermione waited after everyone left. Harry and Ron gave her looks, suggesting that she go along with them, but she had to clear her doubt.

After Lupin sent the class away, he turned around and saw Hermione. "Well Miss Granger, how can I help you?" he asked with a smile. "Well, professor, I'm sure you've been reading about vampire attacks in the Prophet…" she started, "Ah, my dear!" he interrupted, "there is no spell that can protect you from a vampire, I am afraid." "No, professor, you've got me wrong. My friend told me that garlic and raw fish can protect oneself from vampires. Is this true?" she asked. "Keeping raw garlic and fish in your robes surely will not keep vampires away from you. They only provide a horrible smell so that the vampire attacks others first and you, last. It is really poppy-cock. I didn't expect such a bright young witch to have such a silly thought!" he said. Hermione flushed dark red, half from embarrassment and half from pride. Mumbling her thanks, she quickly grabbed her books and bag and rushed off.

Harry and Ron were sitting near the fireplace with a small piece of parchment. They were both holding quills and were deep in thought when Hermione arrived in the common room. "Doing your homework?" she asked as she settled down next to them. "No Hermione," Ron said, "we are deciding what to buy when we go to Hogsmeade today. And I want to see whether all of them will fit my budget." he explained woefully.

She looked at the list and frowned. "Do you REALLY need all these sweets from Honeydukes?" she asked incredulously. "Well of course!" Ron snapped. "How can I study without sugar in my mouth?"

Within the hour, Ron decided on what he needed. Everyone was set to go to Hogsmeade.


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

A half-hour before the students left for Hogsmeade, McGonagall made an announcement. "As you all know," she began crisply, "there are rogue vampires near Hogsmeade. As safety precautions, your Hogsmeade trip will be shortened by an hour to prevent any encounters with vapires. I expect all of you to be ready to leave Hogsmeade by five." Saying this, she left. "Will that affect our purchases?" Ron asked Harry, looking at his list. "I hardly doubt it." Harry replied.

When the third years reached Hogsmeade, Ron and Harry immediately went to Flourish and Blotts to pick up extra ink, quills and parchments. After exiting Flourish and Blotts, Ron referred his list. "Now, we only need to pick up some Chocolate Frogs and Drooble's." he said. "To Honeydukes, then." Harry said nonchalantly.

Honeydukes seemed pretty crowded when Harry and Ron entered. "Oi! Watch it!" Ron shouted as Seamus pushed past him, almost toppling his stationary bag. "Sorry Ron. They've got a new Exotic Collection here. 'sposedly selling like hot cakes. Stocks just been restocked. Come on!" Seamus replied. "That sounds fun." Harry said with a grin. "But…" Ron said glancing at his list. "Oh I'll pay for whatever you want. Just come!" Harry said, literally dragging Ron with him, following Seamus.

There was a whole section of shelves dedicated to the Exotic Collection. There were rows of Black Licorice Spiders, Poppy Poop, Turkish Dragons and many other exotic stuff. Ron's mouth was just hanging open seeing all those sweets. But Harry's view was stuck on a variety of that were blood red in colour. "Excuse me," Harry asked the nice lady at the counter, "what are those?" he asked, pointing to the red lollipos. "Those? My dear, those are called Bloody Lollies. They taste like blood, only sweeter. Who can EVER suck real blood?" she asked with a kind smile. Harry's brain started working. "Are they made from real blood?" he asked the nice lady. "Of course not, my dear! But I'm pretty sure they'll test like actual blood." "I would like ten of those, please." Harry said. She took ten lollipops from the jar and put it in a paper package. "That would be two Galleons my dear." She said as she handed the package to Harry. "Thanks." he said as he handed out the money.

"Say Harry, why did you buy BLOODY Lollies? You aren't planning to become a vampire are you?" Ron asked Harry, as they and Hermione walked down a desolate path near the Shrieking Shack. "I had this weird thought you know," Harry explained. "The lady behind the counter said that they taste like real blood, BUT real blood isn't used. So I thought that if it tasted like real blood, vampires could have those before us." Harry explained. Ron and Hermione stared at him, mouths wide open like fish. "That's…" Hermione started, "Bloody brilliant!" Ron finished, with a ad grin plastered on his face. "See Hermione?" he said smugly. "Even boys have got brains." he said triumphantly. "But how do you know it will WORK?" she asked, sounding bossy. Has Harry even TRIED, what was that?" she suddenly asked mid-sentence, her voice, almost a whisper. "I thought I heard some rustling." Harry confirmed. "Where the bloody hell are we?" Ron asked, shivering from head to toe, his voice a high squeak. "We took a wrong turn." Harry said. "I guess we should retrace our path and maybe…" Hermione started, but she wasn't able to finish her sentence. "Get away?" a deep, accented voice asked. "Say, James, does the lion let the deer get away?" asked the accented voice. "No," said James, "he captures it, and devours all of its flesh." he completed, and stepped into the light from the shadows.

There was not just two men, there was a lady too with them. All their irises were a dark maroon, almost black in the fading light. One of the men was dark, with long dark locks. The other, was pale, paler than a lily, with blonde hair tied back in a pony tail. The lady was as pale as the blonde man, probably paler, but with flaming red locks.

"My, my, my!" the lady crooned. "Just look at our luck! Three little ones! One for each of us. They should satisfy us for a few days." she said. "Wait, Victoria, let's not leave our guests bewildered." said the man with an accent. "Aw, come on Laurent! I can't wait longer." James said, licking his lips. "Wait, what are you going to do?" Harry asked. "Suck your blood till nothing remains except your little corpses." Victoria said, picking her nails. "You are vampires?" Hermione shrieked. "Well, yes. Any last words?" James said, looking like a tiger ready to pounce.

"Try one of these." Harry said, handing the three vampires a Bloody Lolly each.


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

"Do you think us to be children, to suck on these?" the lady, Victoria sneered. "No," Harry responded, surprised that his voice was not wavering. "It's my dying wish." He said, improvising. "Well, they are little ones. Might as well indulge them." Laurent said. The other two vampires pouted, but decided to follow their leader. They took the Bloody Lollies from Harry and start unwrapping the sweet. Then, they put it in their mouths and sucked. All of them moaned in appreciation of the taste. Their dark irises started lightening slowly, Harry noted. From blackish maroon, it was now turning into actual maroon. "What is this, little ones? Such exotic taste! I've never tasted anything like this before!" James asked, unwilling to take the delicious sweet away from his mouth. "Bloody Lollies. We can get more if you want, but unfortunately, this is going to be the end." Harry said, sighing dramatically. Hermione and Ron stared at him. But soon, realization dawned on Hermione. "Yes, we could get you loads of them, but as Harry says, this is our last night." She said, sighing. Ron still couldn't comprehend anything, but he decided to not say anything in case he might spoil Harry and Hermione's plan. The three vampires looked at them sharply. "You can get us more?" Laurent asked. "Yes. Oh so much more!" Harry said earnestly. The vampires sucked on their lollies, while deep in thought. "I have an offer, little ones." Laurent said. "If you continue to give us these, Bloody Lollies, we will spare your lives." He finished. Victoria and James nodded in agreement. "But won't you like fresh innocent blood more?" Harry asked, a picture of innocence on his face; his green eyes wide with curiosity. "This," Victoria said, pointing at the stick in her mouth, "is better than ANY blood I've ever tasted in my existence. Aw damn! Mine just got over!" she said scowling and removing the stick from her mouth. "As it so happens I have a few more." Hermione said eagerly. "Give it. NOW." Victoria ordered "Nope." Harry said. "Why?" James pouted. "We give you the Bloody Lollies regularly, and you stay away from Hogwarts?" Harry asked timidly. The vampires looked at each other, as if having a conversation that only they could hear. "Done, little ones." Laurent said, extending his hand to Harry. Harry took it and they shook on the deal.

By now, Ron had understood what was going on. After they shook on the deal, he asked curiously, "Why do you call us 'little ones'? Why can't you call us by our own names? Ron Weasley." He said, extending his arm. "Laurent." Laurent said, shaking his hand. "James." James said shaking Ron's hand. "Victoria." Victoria said, doing the same. "Hermione." Hermione said, introducing herself and shaking all the vampires' hands, and so did Harry.

"Where are these Bloody Lollies you promised us?" James asked."Right here!" Hermione said, handing the bag of Bloody Lollies. "We'll owl a bunch of lollies whenever we get our hands on them, we promise." Harry said. "Yeah, we'll mostly send a few next week." Ron said, confirming.

"See you soon, Harry, Ron and Hermione." Laurent said as solemnly as possible with a lolly in his mouth. "Can't wait for your next round of sweets!" James said grinning happily.

After saying their goodbyes, the three friends walked back to Hogwarts, talking about their encounter with actual vampires. "Well, Harry, I normally say this to Hermione, but this time, you deserve it. That was bloody brilliant!" Ron said appreciatively. Harry smirked, while Hermione frowned.


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

And so, a month went by. Harry, Ron and Hermione kept up their side of the promise. Every time they went to Hogsmeade, they paid a visit to Honeydukes. The Bloody Lollies were two per Knut. All the three of them chipped in two Knuts every visit to Honeydukes and bought Bloody Lollies for their vampire friends. They still couldn't believe that they had befriended vampires.

They had kept up a particular routine. Laurent told Harry that they were staying ("We normally say "lurking", but since you are our friends, we might as well stick to the truth." James admitted, vaguely sounding sheepish.") in the Forbidden Forest. "But how? There are charms that keep dangerous creatures-" Hermione suddenly stopped her rant, looking very red indeed. But Laurent raised an inquisitive brow, and that got her started again. "There are charms that would keep you out right?" she asked, slightly nervous about the security of Hogwarts. If vampires could get in, maybe even other dangerous creatures could! "Actually, we did come across some sort of barrier when we entered the forest." Victoria admitted. "We couldn't pass through it easily. But eventually, we made it across." "Oh." Hermione said, frowning her brow, deep in thought. "Anyways," Rom said hastily, before Hermione could start again, "Where should we leave your sweets?" "You see that tree, not more than a few yards from the cabin there?" Laurent said. The three nodded. "Leave it at the foot of the tree. We'll come and collect it. No need to come deep into the forest and get lost. Even though you seem to know where the huge spider nest is." Laurent said.

They came back earlier than the other Hogwarts students from Hogsmeade. They snuck out behind Hagrid's cabin and wrapped the sweets in brown paper and left it at the tree. Hagrid couldn't find them doing this, because he was too busy supervising the students who were leaving and entering Hogwarts grounds, making sure no unwanted 'guests' would enter.

One night, Harry, Ron and Hermione heard weird sounds coming from the Forbidden Forest. It was well past curfew, but our threesome can never abide the rules can they? "Harry, can we go back?" a scared Ron whimpered. "No. what if Laurent, James and Victoria are in trouble? We need to help them." Hermione looked doubtful about the late night excursion into the Forbidden Forest too, but, their Gryffindor part of their brains won, and they decided to go and investigate.

Bad idea.

Harry, Ron and Hermione went looking around in the Forbidden Forest, going deeper and deeper inside, holding out their wands just in case. The noise, it turned out, was a fully grown Blast-Ended Skrewt fighting one of Hagrid's giant spiders, over a piece of meat. They froze in their tracks, and suddenly screamed.

"Arania Examai!" Harry shouted, remembering the spell from his previous year at Hogwarts. The spider went away, but they Blast-Ended Skrewt decided to attack the three wizards instead of having the piece of meat. They shouted again, but knew it was in vain. The Skrewt advanced in their direction. They cried whatever hex and curse that came into their minds, but it bounced harmlessly off the Skrewt's exoskeleton armour. Just when they were about to give up hope, they heard a swoosh and three blurs picked them up and took off. Harry, Ron and Hermione didn't have time to think anything. By the time anything had happened, they were back on solid ground. "Damn that thing!" Victoria growled. "We cannot over power it. At least it is slow; we can outrun it." "What the bloody hell just happened?" Ron asked, completely bewildered. "We should be asking you that, Ron." Laurent said. "Young ones like yourselves shouldn't be here, out in the dark." James said sternly.

Harry, Ron and Hermione blushed red and recounted their adventure. "Well, you saved our lives in the end." Hermione said. "And for that we are grateful." Harry said, giving them a gracious smile. "Do us all a favour; don't leave the castle at night." James said with a wink. They three grinned despite themselves.

Once they said their goodbyes, they were on their way back to the Gryffindor dorm. "That was an adventure unlike any before!" Hermione said, a bit gleefully. "You don't say?" Ron said sarcastically. Harry just grinned. He knew his friends were quirky like that. And he liked it.


	12. Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

The same routine was followed every week. After being saved from the Skrewt, Harry and Hermione made it a point to send letters to Laurent, James and Victoria during the week.

One week, unfortunately the Hogsmeade trip was cancelled. They couldn't get that weeks' Bloody Lollies for James, Laurent and Victoria. "You should send them a letter, Harry." Hermione advised. "But I don't know where they are exactly!" Harry replied, not wanting to send a letter to them. He feared the consequences. "Ugh, I can't believe you came up with the idea of giving those vampires Bloody Lollies instead of our blood. How do you think they've been receiving all of our previous letter?" she asked inquisitively. "Through Hedwig? But even she doesn't know where they are exactly!" Harry protested. "How do you reckon we get replies, mate?" Ron asked, supporting Hermione. "Hedwig brings them?" he replied sheepishly. "Hedwig knows where they are, and she can definitely give them a letter. And you had better write the letter explaining the situation properly." Hermione said crossly.

Harry frowned and felt cross at being told what to do by his best friends. He procrastinated with the letter, completing his homework (tons of it), but nonetheless, a few hours before dawn, he took a bit of parchment and his quill and ink and started to write a letter.

To Laurent, James and Victoria,

Hi. Hope you guys are doing well. Due to a few problems, we (Ron, Hermione and i) can't get you your Bloody Lollies this week. We really are sorry but there isn't much we can do about this situation. Will you still not harm anyone from Hogwarts? I really hope you don't. We promise to send extra next week.

From, Harry Potter

Sealing the letter, Harry took it to the owlery. "Hedwig! Here, you have a letter to deliver. Give it to Laurent, would you? The bloke with long, dark hair." He said, stroking her soft feathers. Hedwig gave a hoot and nipped Harry lovingly and swooped off to deliver the letter. Harry came out of the owlery and he spent some time standing at the entrance, enjoying the fresh air. The moon was behind a few clouds, but suddenly, it came out of the curtain of clouds. It was a full moon night, and Harry heard a few howls. "Wolves." Harry thought. "Or more likely werewolves." He spent some more time, enjoying the cool night air, when he noticed a white spot in the sky. It was Hedwig and she was flying towards him with a letter.

Harry,

In trouble. Need your help. In the forest near the spider nest. Come soon.

Laurent

Harry read it, green eyes growing wide. After reading, he dashed off to find Ron and Hermione. Their vampire friends were in trouble and they needed their help. And they would help them. After all, they did save them from a fully grown Blast Ended Skrewt.

Once he reached the Gryffindor common room, he quickly told them about the letter he had just received. "Well, come on!" Ron said, as soon as Harry finished explaining, dragging Hermione along. They went into the Forbidden Forest, following the path used by spiders, but not travelling on it as such. They treaded quietly in the forest. They had their wands in their hands, at the ready. "Why would three vampires need three wizards' help?" Ron mused out loud. "Werewolves." Harry said simply. "What?" Ron asked, paling visibly. "It's a full moon night. And we learnt in Defence Against the Dark Arts that werewolves are the mortal enemies of vampires." Hermione stated simply. "And how do we thwart werewolves?" Ron asked scornfully. "Impedimenta, I guess. They will remain immobilized for a short while at least." Harry said. "At least they won't be able to move around."

They carefully walked into the forest, with their wands at the ready. They kept going deeper and deeper into the forest. They reached the spider nest, but they found no signs of the vampires. Harry almost suggested going back, when they heard a howl, followed by three blurs. These blurs were none other than Laurent, James and Victoria. They were being chased by two werewolves. The three wizards were frozen in fear. Harry was the first to react. "Stupefy!" he shouted, aiming at one of the werewolves. It hit it right in the chest. This shook Ron and Hermione out of their shock, and they retaliated with cries of "Stupefy!" and "Impedimenta!"

Hermione froze one werewolf in her first try. Harry and Ron were battling the other one. Soon, both the werewolves were frozen in their spots. Hermione cast a charm and found out that it was an hour away from dawn. "Thank you, Harry. We never expected you three to get here so soon." Laurent said gratefully. "Yeah, we'll take your thanks later on, right now, we need to get away from here!" Ron said, still looking at the frozen werewolves. "What Ron wants to say is that they will stay like this only for a little while, and we need to get away from here." Hermione explained. "Oh, we'll help you." Victoria drawled. "We run fast. And we're strong. I'll take Hermione, James can take Ron, and Laurent, maybe you could take Harry?" she asked, looking warily at Laurent. "Yes, this will be the least we can do. Come on." Laurent agreed and picked up Harry.

And he started running.

Harry felt that riding a broom was exhilarating, but then he flew a Hippogriff, which was even more exhilarating. But those, they were nothing compared to this. Harry owned a bloody Firebolt, but even his Firebolt couldn't reach Laurent's speed. It took almost all of his self-control not to whoop in excitement.

The experience didn't last long, unfortunately for Harry, and they stopped suddenly. Laurent let him go and Harry turned to see how his friends had fared. Ron was red, and was grinning. "That was bloody amazing, mate! Harry, they are faster than your Firebolt!" Ron was saying excitedly. Hermione looked green and peakish. "What is a Firebolt?" James asked, looking confused. A less green Hermione took the support of Victoria to stand still and said, "How about a picnic next Sunday? We'll tell you all about us." She said. "Will you be bringing Bloody Lollies?" Victoria asked. "Sure. Why not?" Harry said, grinning. "We'll bring five for each of you. After all, you did save our lives from that Blast Ended Skrewt and we haven't thanked you properly for that yet." "You saved us from these werewolves, that is more enough. You have our deepest gratitude." Laurent said, bowing his head. "Can't wait for the picnic! See you next week!" James said, grinning. As they turned to leave, James turned back and mouthed "Bring them!" with a wink, and set off, following Laurent and Victoria.


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

Hermione sent the vampires a letter furnishing them with full details as to where and when the picnic would take place. "Don't want them meeting someone who could cause trouble you know." Hermione said, with her traditional I-know-I'm-smart sniff once she sent the letter through Hedwig. "That sentence is dedicated to only one person we know; Malfoy!" Ron mumbled to Harry with a snicker. Harry couldn't suppress a grin.

They didn't bother preparing for the picnic until Friday. Hermione left the job of getting all the food to Ron and Harry. "So, how goes the preparation for the picnic?" she asked, sitting down in front of the common room fire, taking out her Charms homework to read it once more (not that it wasn't already destined to be awarded anything less than an E). Ron and Harry shared guilty glances. Then, they had a silent argument about who would break the news and face the rant of Hermione Granger. They chose the Muggle way to sort out the argument; a simple game of stone, paper and scissors. Harry won, and he was grinning triumphantly. He smirked at Ron and went off to his dorm, leaving Ron all alone to face Hermione Granger. Ron was livid. "Umm, we haven't started yet." He mumbled, not looking at Hermione in the eye. She laid her parchment carefully on the table and crossed her arms and eyes. "Really, Ronald, how irresponsible can you be? You just need to pack FOOD for Merlin's sake! Why haven't you done it?" she asked icily. "Umm, because, he faltered. Then, with more confidence, he said "It would get spoilt before the picnic if I pack it now." He said with a happy smirk. "At least have you made a list about what you'll be packing?" she asked, knowing that Ron had bluffed. "Umm, Harry and I are still working on it. In fact, we are deciding on it right now! Were, actually, since you so rudely disturbed us." He said, before running up the stairs to the safety of his dorms.

"Harry, mate, we have to make a list of food we are taking for the picnic. NOW!" Ron said, as soon as he entered the dorms. "Unless you want your head to be eaten up by the wonder that goes by the name Hermione Granger." He added, in a smug way. Harry shuddered and quickly grabbed a piece of parchment, a quill and some ink and sat down at the foot of Ron's bed along with Ron as they hastily scribbled the food they will be taking.

After reading through her essay, Hermione decided to see what the boys were doing. She silently went up to the boys' dorms and peeped in through the door. She was surprised, to find out, that Harry and Ron were in fact discussing about what to take for the picnic. They were currently having an argument whether to take Exploding Snap or Wizards' chess. She smiled. It was going to be an amazing day with all he friends.

The next day, Hermione came, all dressed up in a cloak and came to Harry and Ron and said, "I'm going to Hogsmeade to get the Lollies. You two," she said, pointing at Ron and Harry (Ron gulped in fright) "are going to get the remaining food from the house-elves. Be near Hagrid's hut at one sharp. Don't you dare be late, nor do you dare let anyone find out about this, or we and our new friends will be in trouble." She instructed before marching off. "We'll eat later. Let's get the food before Miss Bossy comes and eats our head off. I'd rather be hungry than be headless." Ron mumbled conspiratorily to Harry. "Well, if that's what you want, come on! Off to the kitchens!" Harry said cheerfully.

Someone from across the Great Hall with blonde hair and a pointed face was paying a lot of attention to what was going on at the Gryffindor table; especially between three particular Gryffindors. Harry and Ron didn't notice this someone, but went to the kitchens. The someone smirked. "Looks like Potter, Granger and the Weasel are up to something." He said to his big cronies. "And we must make sure that the right people find them in the middle of the act."

_A/N – I wanted to finish the story with this chapter but to hell with my plans and write another chapter! So there is going to be another chapter. I also felt that this would be a nice somewhat cliff hanger type ending. _


	14. Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

Harry and Ron were talking about Quidditch as they went down to the kitchens. "Do you have the list?" Harry asked his friend. "Harry mate, I literally sleep with it in case Miss Hermione Granger pops up out of nowhere and demands to see it." Ron replied solemnly. Harry laughed as he tickled the pear so that they could enter the kitchens. They entered and the door closed.

"So, this is where the kitchens are." Draco mused out loud. He decided that the best thing to do, to get Potter, the Weasel and Mudblood into trouble was find out who they were going to meet. He had already made a fool of himself once in front of McGonagal of all the professors, and he was not willing to have a similar encounter again. Crabbe and Goyle were least bothered about what they had to do. Draco would think of everything. All they had to do was blindly follow him and give him company and protection. Right then, they were grinning, which was a very rare sight. They knew where the kitchens were; and they were going to pay the kitchens regular visits.

All the three Slytherins were hiding behind a suit of armour. Draco was keeping a close eye on the portrait. Pretty soon, the door came back into view, and a smiling Potter and grinning Weasley came out, carrying a huge and supposedly heavy basket. Draco deduced that it was heavy, because the Gryffindors were huffing and puffing, trying to carry it. Once they went out of view, Draco and his cronies came out of their hiding place and crept after Harry and Ron.

Harry and Ron didn't realize they were being followed. "Hermione ought to be bloody happy now." Ron grunted as he heaved the heavy basket along with Harry. "Why do you say so?" Harry asked, grinning. "By the looks of this basket, the elves have given us enough food to feed our whole dorm!" Ron replied. Harry laughed out loud at this comment. They made slow progress out of the Great Hall, trying their best to look calm and in place. They needn't have bothered actually; most of the school was at Hogsmeade already. Hermione came to join them while they were on their way to Hagrid's hut. "I've bought five for each of them. I see you've got the food Ronald." She commented with a sniff. "You don't say." Ron replied sarcastically. If only she carried the basket! They heaved and huffed, carrying the heavy basket into the Forbidden Forest.

"The Forbidden Forest?" Draco mused out loud. "Getting a professor to see Potter in there itself will result in severe punishment. I wonder why they are having a picnic in there? Surely there must be more delightful places to have a picnic?" He was remembering his first year at Hogwarts, when he was fooled. But eventually, Potter had gotten his punishment too. "Come on." He ordered, and Crabbe and Goyle had no option but to grunt in agreement and follow their leader.

The three young wizards reached the place of the picnic, and were surprised to see James, Laurent and Victoria already waiting for them. "Hi James, Laurent, Victoria. Here are your sweets. We've got more for you this time." Hermione said with a warm smile as she handed them their favourite sweets. "But this wasn't necessary! You saved our lives, we saved yours! It's completely fair." Laurent protested, yet accepted the sweets. "You don't know the half of it, mate." Ron said seriously. "Harry here, is a celebrity of sorts in our world." "Speaking of your world," Victoria interrupted, "What is a Firebolt?"

The six of them sat together, Harry, Ron and Hermione eating what they had brought in the basket, and the vampires, Laurent, James and Victoria sucking on Bloody Lollies. Ron and Harry were enthusiastically telling them all about brooms and Quidditch. The vampires were paying close attention, but Hermione, who had never found anything fascinating about the particular subject, ignored them and happily ate. Once they had finished their talk of Quidditch, James asked why Ron had called Harry a celebrity of sorts.

Now Ron started a tirade of his own. He slightly exaggerated about Harry's accomplishments, but Hermione was there to get the facts right. Harry was mollified, hearing Ron speak about him like that, like as if he was some hero.

Draco and his cronies followed them, and saw the Gryffindors meet three adults. "I wonder who they are. They aren't anyone from Azkaban for all that I know." Draco thought. The vampires were looking very fit, especially the lady with flaming red hair. Then, the Mudblood had given them a packet of lollipops, LOLLIPOPS to ADULTS and they were glad to have gotten them! How so strange! He could hear bits of their conversation when the wind favoured him. First, they were talking about brooms and Quidditch, and then Potter's friends were chirping about what Potter had achieved. "Saint Potter." Draco thought, scathingly.

"Say, Laurent, why don't you tell us about yourselves?" Ron asked. "Yeah, do! You don't sound like as if you are from England. Your accent sounds, different." Harry said. He was eager to get back into the conversation (and steer it away from him being the topic of discussion. He always hated that.) and besides, it wasn't everyday you got to meet a vampire. "Well, I used to live in the 1600s and I was transformed into a vampire by someone else. I don't remember much about the change, but I remember pain." Laurent started telling them his story.

The dark, heavily accented man was speaking, Draco could hear him talk. "Well, I used to live in the 1600s and I was transformed into a vampire by someone else. I don't remember much about the change, but I remember pain." Vampires! The bloody Gryffindors had made friends with vampires! They would drink their blood. Oh, they were so busted! (A/N – The previous sentence should be read in the way Candace from Phineas and Ferb says it.)

He turned to leave, but he stepped on a twig and the crack echoed in the whole forest. The vampires' head turned sharply in Draco's direction. "Your friends?" Victoria asked them. "Oh no!" the three groaned. "Not bloody Malfoy! We are doomed!" Ron moaned. "No you won't." James said with a snarl. In an instant, the three vampires became blurs, and in the next few seconds, Crabbe was being held captive by James, Goyle was beine held captive by Laurent and Draco was being held captive by Victoria.

"Where do you think YOU are going sweetie?" Victoria asked in a soft, but dangerous voice. "Puh please! Don't kill me!" Draco whimpered, almost crying. "We don't mean any harm! We were just curious! Please don't hurt us!" Draco pleaded. "Hmm, let's ask Harry." James said. "What should we do about them Harry?" he asked, looking at Harry. "Finish them off!" Ron said gleefully. "Ron!" Both Harry and Hermione seemed appalled at thought. "That is murder! Do you want Dumbledore sacked?" Hermione asked in a poisonous voice. "OK, fine. We can't have them dead James." Ron said sadly. "Can you make sure he doesn't tell anyone?" Harry asked, his eyes narrowed, glaring at Draco.

"Sure Harry!" Victoria beamed. "You know little boys, you are being very naughty. If I find you being naughty again, the school might just find three particular beds empty one morning, and never find the occupants at all." Victoria said with a sweet smile. "You won't want that would you?" she said with mock sympathy.

"I won't tell on them! Please let me go!" Draco whimpered. "Let them go." Laurent said, letting go of his captive. James and Victoria did precisely that. The Slytherins scrambled to their feet and stared in fright at the vampires. James bared his teeth and hissed. That was all that was needed. Draco screamed and the three mean Slytherins ran off.

Harry, Ron and even Hermione were laughing, looking at the scared face of Draco. "Looks like they won't be troubling us anymore! Thanks!" Harry said, still laughing. "That was rather funny." James admitted with a grin. "Oh, let's tell them what a git Malfoy is!" Ron said eagerly, and immediately started telling them all about scaredy Malfoy.

It was a fun day, one that Harry would never forget. After all, he was one of the few wizards who had befriended vampires!

A/N – IT'S DONE! Thank you all for reading this fiction, and for your nice/critical comments. I am planning to write more fictions. In fact, this is late because I am writing more, but I have to say that the ones I am writing are Drarry fics, so read at your own risk! ;)


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